Sparks Fly
by igirisexual
Summary: Sparks jump and leap each time they touch. No, literally. Sparks fly when Arthur and a long-time enemy get into quite a confrontational situation. As if Arthur hasn't suffered enough, this long-time enemy of his tries to become a friend, and maybe a bit more. Arthur is disgusted. USUK, Gakuen AU.
1. Welcome to W Academy

Hands pushed at his chest, at his arms, at his navel. Up against the lockers, amongst the crowd, he was shoved against the cold metal. Arthur's attackers only grinned and smirked as they shoved him. He refused to cry aloud, just biting his lip and waiting for them to finish. Today, they were gifting him with verbal abuse as well as physical. Charming.

"Not going to cry today? Or are you going to go off and weep to your 'fairies'?" scoffed the elder of the blonds in front of him, flicking his hair and smirking.

"Or are even _they_ done with such a loser like you," sneered the second. Arthur wanted to keep quiet, but his anger had been bottled for quite some time now. Sixth grade was not supposed to be like this.

"Shut up!" Arthur yelped, trying to push out from the hands of the bullies. "They're real! You two are too dumb to know how to see them!"

"Alright, break it up, kids," a teacher called, striding towards the three of them and tugging back the aggressors with firm hands. "Alfred, Francis, what have I told you about picking on Arthur?"

"Not to," they answered in unison. Arthur just quivered where he stood.

"Exactly. Now apologize and leave him alone."

"We're sorry." Francis and Alfred lied, feigning their remorse rather awfully. With that, they turned, and the teacher gently shoved them away.

It had been two years since those times, and Arthur was readying himself for his first day of highschool. He lived with his brother Allistor, and said brother was gently nudging him and making gentle fun of how he looked in the uniform.

"Just kiddin', ye' look great. Go get 'em, Arthur." He hummed, giving his little brother a hug and then sending him off to get on the bus.

Arthur hadn't changed too much since primary school. He had gotten taller, although was still short compared to other people. He had become withdrawn and easily bitter due to the relentless badgering he had gotten from Francis and Alfred. Those bastards, they had been bullies to him for three years, ever since he let slip that he could speak to fairies. It wasn't just fairies though. Leprechauns, unicorns, brownies; he had a sight for such miraculous creatures. That would be due to the magical energy that coursed through his veins.

Arthur had never known his mother or father, not properly. He had a younger brother at one point, but it was his fault that he no longer did. Only four months after his birth did it all go wrong. It had been dark and storming outside, and the little Arthur had been awoken by a crack of thunder and bright lightning outside. His mother had awoken and come in to comfort him, but all he could do was cry and scream and wail and the electricity broke from his soul and out of his tiny hands and-

Well. That's a story for another time.

He had never come to terms with what he was. He could run sparks from his fingers, play with electricity like it was just a toy. Arthur had learned to control it, but before doing so had often accidentally given himself an electric shock while in the shower or bath, and sent himself into an almost-paralysis. His brother told him a story long ago about how his mother had been able to toy with water, and he wondered if there was any connection. There was, of course. He inherited a magic of his own.

Self-conscious, he fiddled with the straps of his heavy bag. He was going to a new place now, and he would not have to deal with Alfred and Francis anymore; Alfred would not be coming to this school, and Francis had returned to his home country. He could be free, and perhaps, if he was lucky, he could have a new start. He wouldn't need to be made fun of any longer for a mistake long ago. People were judgmental and crude, and he trusted no-one, spare his big brother.

The gates of W. Academy were tall and painted pale gold, and stone lions stood to either side. Arthur felt a whole new sense of hope. Older students were already all about the front of the school, whereas his fellow grade eights were to be sent to the assembly hall to receive timetables and be given the whole lowdown on what highschool would be like. He bit his lip, and followed the signs posted near the gate.

Others in his grade were sitting in groups and chatting amongst themselves. He recognized no-one, but was a little thankful for that. It would be hard to make any friends, since everyone seemed to know each other already. Then again, Arthur was very rusty on that topic, as he had not had a friend since fifth grade. They had left him as soon as the bullying started, too afraid of being targeted as well. What a wanker.

The bell sounded over their heads, and a few teachers began to show up in the assembly hall. It was just grade eights summoned here; other grades were to meet in different spots. Fiddling with his itchy cardigan, Arthur sat down a little way away from a chattering group. There was a tapping on a microphone, and the crowd slowly quietened down.

"New students!" A man with curly auburn hair and a bright smile stepped up to the little podium, leaning casually against the lectern and speaking into the microphone. "Welcome to W. Academy! I am Mr. Vargas, Principal and Head of the History department." He introduced, voice thick with an Italian accent. Arthur tried to listen, but got a little distracted as a shy-looking boy shuffled in and sat down beside him.

"I'm late.." the boy mumbled to himself, looking up at the principal with fretful brown eyes. Arthur turned slightly, and forced his lips to part.

"He just started, don't worry." He said quietly, amazed that he'd been able to stammer that much. The boy beside him gave him a weak smile, nodded, and turned back.

After the introduction speech, students were given timetables as their names were called out, and all looked over them. As they were being given out in alphabetical order, Arthur patiently waited. Kirkland was toward the middle of the alphabet. The boy beside him received his timetable before too long, and only a few minutes later, Arthur received his.

Along the top, it read '_W. Academy, Arthur Kirkland (Yr. 8)_'. Beneath that was a table of subject boxes with numbered classrooms and teacher names typed below. He recognized some of the code from orientation day last year, and looked to the key to find out what class he would be having first. English. It didn't seem too bad, as he was quite good at literacy. His favourite part of the subject was narrative writing and poetry. He doubted he would actually be doing English work, as the lesson would probably just be the teacher talking about the curriculum and what they would be doing.

He peered over the shoulder of his dark-haired schoolmate, trying to read his timetable. Perhaps, if he could stutter out a little conversation, he could make friends with this boy. Yes, that would be his goal. When he noted that _Kiku Honda (Yr. 8)_ had English as well, he allowed himself a little smile. Perhaps they would end up sitting together.

"You're breathing on my neck.." mumbled Kiku, shuffling a little bit away from Arthur.

"Terribly sorry," he murmured back, giving a meek shrug. "You have English, right?.. I have that too." They were dismissed and sent off to find their classrooms by the teachers about, and Arthur stood.

"I saw you reading my timetable." Kiku stated, turning a little and walking with Arthur through the crowd.

"Er, sorry," Arthur mumbled, walking quickly beside his classmate to get out of the thick horde of students. "Kee-que, right?"

"_Kiku_," he corrected, seemingly horrified by Arthur's pronunciation. Perhaps it was a British thing to say names so horribly.

"Sorry, chap, Kiku. My name is Arthur." He nodded, tugging at his cardigan as they walked. "Actually, where are we going?.."

"Languages block." his companion answered simply, having a bit of trouble with L sounds.

Kiku was a little frightening at first, but looking at him after the first five minutes of sharing his company, Arthur noted that he wasn't so scary after all. He had a certain softness to him, and he was like.. Well, Arthur would describe him as a warm and creamy cup of chamomile and mint tea.

They reached the classroom and idled outside. A teacher appeared before too long, a sweet-looking young woman with strawberry-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore her hair in twin pigtails to either side of her head, pinning some back at the side with colourful clips. She told the class in a merry English voice to take out their notebooks, pencilcases, and timetables, and then come inside.

Arthur stayed close to Kiku as they entered the small classroom, and sat down somewhere towards the back of the room. The walls were covered in posters encouraging proper use of grammar and punctuation, and there were a few about bullying and 'how to stop it'. Arthur snorted and rolled his eyes. Hahah. What a load of bollocks. Also, he swore he smelled cake mix.

"My name's Olivia Bailey," she chirped, idly using a broom – why did she have a broom? – to sweep in front of her desk. "And I will be your English teacher for the year! You can call me Olivia or Ms. Bailey, and if you really like me, Ollie." One she ensured cleanliness in her little area, she put the broom aside, and sat down in her desk. Her name was written on the board in pink marker, with a little smiley face to the side.

Arthur leant his elbows on the desk, watching the introduction and whatnot without a word. She seemed to be a nice teacher, if a little.. erm, eccentric. After going over her expectations for class behavior, she went about issuing little 'get-to-know-you' cards between pairs of students, and made them do the activities listed. This wasn't too different from primary school, Arthur guessed, except this time, he didn't have bullying assholes staring at him or calling him names.

"Ahem? Arthur, I'm supposed to ask you your favourite colour." Kiku said, interrupting the blond's train of thought.

"Oh, right," he mumbled awkwardly. "Radioactive green." Arthur answered, nodding. "Uh, yours?"

"Red."

This carried on for a little while, with the pair exchanging and answering questions from the card, nodding and smiling when the other answered something in a funny way. After the lesson ended, Arthur mentally declared he and Kiku Honda _friends_. It felt so damned _good_ to have a friend again, as he had missed such a thing dearly.

The next class was Math, which had both Arthur and Kiku zoned out. This teacher was not as cheery as Ms. Bailey. In fact, he just smelled like smoke and wrote up various principles of revision numeracy upon the board, which Arthur quickly copied down. He, compared to the bright Olivia, wore a dark purple dress-shirt and black slacks, and had long dusty-blond hair tied back with a black ribbon. He also seemed to be growing a beard.

His name was Francois, and he said that he had no last name. How odd. There was a murmur of agreement across the class that he would be called Mr. F. He was in no way kind, just bleak and dreary, making Mathematics even drabber than it already was. On top of that, he was harsh and strict, and he made Arthur remember that this was high school now, and a lot more would be expected of him.

He made it through the school year with decent grades, mostly B's with the exception of a few A's. Allistor would ruffle his hair and say that he was proud, although Arthur always felt he was just a nuisance. The year had gone by in a flash, albeit a happy one. He found himself smiling more, especially around Kiku. There was one moment where they had ended up kissing, and then that led to dating, and Arthur felt happy and loving properly for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Arthur had kissed Kiku goodbye for the holidays, and headed home for summer. He and Kiku had dates now and then throughout the season, and they exchanged kisses and 'I love you's'. It was pretty awesome, in Arthur's opinion. Because time flies when you're having fun, the holidays soon came to be ending, and Arthur grew apprehensive of the new year. He talked to Kiku on the phone about his worries, however, and was quickly calmed.

He stood at the gate to W. Academy, prepping for his second year. Ninth grade looked to be a good one. Arthur's year level cohort were directed to an undercover area behind the canteen this year, and he quickly found Kiku amongst the crowd. They did not kiss in public, as Kiku became very embarrassed very easily (and neither of them wished to be called faggots), but they did have a short embrace and a passing of smiles and smalltalk. Arthur didn't even look over the crowds this year, but if he had.. Oh, if he had.

This year, as Mr. Vargas was talking with the grade eights, they were present with a stone-faced man at the front of the crowd.

"Ninth-years," he greeted, voice cold and clean-cut. "Welcome back to last years' students, and welcome to new students."

Arthur and Kiku chatted in whispers through Mr. Beilschmidt's spiel, and sighed softly when he finished and names were being called to give out timetables. Kiku received his and the pair of them chattered over it, and then Arthur sat up straight and waited for the letter K to begin. He listed the students in his mind, knowing what order they would be in. But, where he anticipated his name being called, another was in his place.

"Alfred F. Jones?" the teacher in charge for this letter group called, and Arthur felt his blood run cold.

"Here, miss!" the corresponding boy piped up, grinning and standing up to collect his timetable. Arthur felt genuinely like he was going to be sick, and leaned over against Kiku.

"Is something wrong, Arthur-kun?" asked Kiku, using the endearing honorary with a little tilt of his head.

"Everything's wrong," he mumbled frightenedly, not getting up when his name was called. In his place, Kiku stood and shuffled over to the teacher to retrieve it. He gave it to the trembling Arthur, and embraced him hesitantly.

"I am here for you," Kiku stated, petting his boyfriend's back.

"I-.. I know.."

Arthur spent the first lesson, Creative Writing, sitting alone – Kiku did not take this class – and listening to the shtick the teacher rambled on about. He didn't really care to observe her, and his mind was elsewhere. Why was that wretch here now? Could he not just leave Arthur's life forever? He bit his lip and tried to concentrate. But no, that smirking face he had seen earlier today was etched deeply into his mind. To be honest with himself, he was scared shitless.

* * *

**ahahah new fic! thats the introduction and setting and stuff done ahah. this one'll be angst and stuff. and teenage problems. and alfred being a total fuckass. and sparky lightning powers. im so excited. **


	2. Lightning Strikes

Alfred signed on to the football team. He announced it with pride across the cafeteria, and Arthur just looked down at the meal he felt too ill to consume. It was a damn miracle that Alfred hadn't seen him yet, it had been almost a whole school week. Or perhaps he had, and just didn't recognize who he was looking at. Arthur hoped for the latter.

It finally came to Friday, and Arthur trudged into school with Kiku to his side. His boyfriend had said nothing about Alfred, and Arthur was relieved. This day was when things started to go wrong. By second period, other students were giving him odd looks, or snickering at him when he was not looking. He shook it off and carried on.

Third period, Arthur had History class. As they were learning about old England, he made sure to chime in when he knew the answer. Also, he was eager to please Mr. Vargas.

"-And that's what a brownie is." Arthur explained, having been asked to recount what the mystical creature had to do with old lore and whatnot.

"Of course you'd know, fairy boy." A student called from the back of the room, and Arthur turned in horror. No-one had called him that in so long, and he-.. For how long had Alfred been in his History class? Arthur forced himself to look towards the front of the room as there was a small echo of laughter. How long had it taken for Alfred to become popular? He sat through the rest of the class while feeling uncomfortable and bitter.

"Is everything all right, Arthur?" asked Kiku at the lunch table. "You seem unsettled."

"No," he cursed quietly, fiddling with his fingers. "I just fucking hate Alfred."

"We used to be friends," the boy said quietly, not as fidgety as his companion. "Then I had to move away." Arthur bit his lip.

On his way to fourth period, Arthur was pulled up in the corridor by a small group of people. Small indicating the number, as none of the boys were, in any way, small. Arthur was small, however. Alfred stood in the center, arms crossed and smirking. "Where're you off too, fairy boy?" He scoffed, staring down with piercing blue eyes.

Arthur took a little step back.

"To class, the bell went." He explained quickly, adjusting the strap on his bag and trying to leave.

"Funny, I thought you were leaving to get frisky with the pixies." Alfred mocked, and one of the boys to his side hi-fived him. "Or, I don't know.." he turned to his friend. "What do dirty faggots do in their spare time?" He smirked back down to Arthur, who was taking baby steps backward. The largest boy out of the group moved behind Arthur, and blocked his path.

In the spur of the moment, Arthur dropped his bag and made a wild dash for it, ducking past the large boy and trying to run. "You guys see if he's got cash in there, I'll go get him," sneered Alfred, who began to give chase. Arthur was never very athletic, and he only _just_ made it into the boy's toilets before he bent over trying to regain his breath.

Alfred was an athletic champion to say the least. He caught up. Arthur heard the door close behind him, and looked up with fear in his eyes. He tried to scrabble toward one of the stalls to take refuge in, but his collar was grabbed from behind, and he messed up his footing. Alfred was much quicker than he was.

"Nice try, nutcase," scoffed the American, grinning as he watched Arthur stop struggling away. "Aww, you're still scared of me."

"Shut up," muttered Arthur, staring down at Alfred's fist, the one that clutched now at the front of his collar, and held him in place.

"So rude!" Alfred laughed, using his other hand to punch Arthur in the gut. "You haven't changed!"

Arthur grunted and bent over in the middle, but Alfred just struck him again, this time for showing weakness. "You gonna cry?" he scoffed, bringing up his knee and winding the Brit. When he let go of the Arthur's collar, the boy dropped to his knees and clutched his stomach in pain. Alfred had gotten stronger. "Let's see, that makes you a baby, a faggot, and a psycho!"

Arthur was trying so hard not to cry. He didn't have the time to quell his tears as Alfred's foot landed in his side, and he was knocked over. Something, he wasn't sure what, began to bubble and heat within his core. Alfred kicked him again, laughing as he did so. The pain was terrible, but something agonizing began tearing at his insides.

In a burst of light and sound, Arthur grabbed onto Alfred's ankle, and let the energy surge through his fingertips. He let out a shriek as he released the electricity, as it was breaking a barrier he had put up so long ago, and it ached to force out the sparks after all that time. Whatever charge he had released, had acted like a tazer to Alfred, and the boy was quickly down on the ground beside him, body convulsing.

Shakily, Arthur got to his feet, and limped to class without a second thought.

He didn't speak much for the rest of the day, or the weekend. When Kiku and Allistor asked him what was up, he would just lamely nod as if that was an adequate answer. His big brother patched the few cuts he had from 'falling against the ground', and told him to rest so that his bruises would heal.

Monday. As Arthur hobbled in past the gates, he was almost barreled over by a bandaged Alfred.

"Arthur!" the boy shouted, although his tone wasn't laced with malice as per usual. Also, Alfred had called him by name, something that hadn't happened for a long time. "Dude!"

Arthur lifted his arms and braced for impact, but the punches never came. Instead, Alfred stood in front of him with hands on his hips and smiling. The nerve.

"What do you want?" he muttered weakly, taking a meager step back.

"What the heck was the lightning stuff?!" Alfred asked, doe-eyed as he leant forward and grinned. "'Cos that was SO super cool!" Arthur bit his lip. That 'lightning stuff' was a mistake. He shouldn't have let it slip. He should've held it back. Now he would be mocked for being more of a freak. And it would be his fault.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Arthur muttered, looking around for Kiku. Perhaps his fellow student could rescue him from Alfred.

"Yes you do!" protested Alfred, practically jumping forward. "Y'gotta know! C'mon, I wanna hear all about your superpowers!" Superpowers? Arthur frowned.

"You're insane." He stated blankly, shaking his head.

Now, Kiku approached, from the direction that Alfred had come from.

"Alfred-san, you're not to run, remember what the nurses said about your ankle!" he puffed, trying to catch his breath as he put a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, bestie," whined Alfred, laughing.

Arthur stared at Kiku, as if asking what the hell he was doing with Alfred. Kiku understood. "Alfred has decided that we should resume 'BFF' status." Kiku shrugged meekly, giving a little smile. "I got here early today, so.."

"Kiku, we need to talk." Arthur mumbled hushedly, staring up at the too-eager Alfred.

"Alfred-san, excuse us."

Arthur practically dragged Kiku away from the idiotic American, and hissed every word under his breath. "What the bloody hell are you doing, being friends with him?!" he hissed. "That bastard _beat me up_ yesterday! I have bruises!"

"I cannot just refuse him," murmured Kiku, furrowing his brow. "R-.. Lest I meet the same fate."

"Wow, thanks for your concern." Arthur spat, turning sharply away from Kiku. "If this is how it's going to be, I-"

"My apologies."

"I don't want to be with you anymore!"

The words had escaped him before he realised what he was saying, and he covered his mouth with one hand. "I-.. I mean,.."

"I understand," interrupted Kiku, frowning a little. "I am not allowed to have friends when I am with you, it seems."

"Kiku, I didn't mean to-" Arthur just stopped there, as Kiku was wandering back towards Alfred. He felt awful. Without another word, he charged off to find somewhere to vent.

He hadn't meant to say that. He had spoken without thought. Arthur loved Kiku, he really did. But now he began to wonder if his feelings were ever returned. His doubt only built when he replayed Kiku's calm composure as they split.

Arthur had never skipped class before. In fact, he was a bit of a goody-two shoes, never wagging a class and always showing up early. That changed today. Irritated and upset, he stayed by a tree for first period, staring up at the grey sky and letting his thoughts consume him. And that, they did. The swarm of little words and phrases, memories and feelings ate away at him, and he ended up curled up in a little ball.

All that time and bad feeling swirled together into a bitter pain in Arthur's chest. He decided that perhaps he should try to get to class instead of being a crybaby, but when he stood, found his feet moving on their own. When had it started to rain? He hadn't noticed it. Perhaps that was because the tree had sheltered him. As he stumbled, clothes dotted with water, he heard thunder clap in the sky above. Perhaps it was the flaming anger and upset in his heart that made control on his power loosen.

Only a few seconds later did it strike. Lightning, white and burning hot, leapt down from the sky and crashed into Arthur. He screamed in something like agony – as he was feeling no pain – and dropped to his knees. Arthur dug his fingers into the ground, feeling his own electricity surging about him, as if absorbing the lightning itself.

He sat there for a minute more in the rain and questioned how he was even still conscious, twitching each time a raindrop struck him. When he had the strength to move again, he struggled to his feet and hurried toward the school building, taking staggered steps inside. Arthur realised now that this was the second school bag that he'd lost within four days. This one had been set alight by his electricity, and he had left it outside without a second thought.

Puffing and sore, Arthur rested a hand on the metal lockers beside him to use as support. This was clearly a great mistake, as sparks licked out from his fingers and jumped along the lockers, and spread up to the roof. He squeaked as the light crackled and burst, breaking the glass and going out promptly. Arthur was scared, to say the least. At least it was still class time, so the corridors were bare.

Had he no control on himself anymore? Just staring down at his fingers, he could see the electricity buzzing underneath his skin. Frightened and frail, he slumped down against the wall, curling up and hiding his face. The lightning strike obviously had something to this; it had shattered whatever was left of the barrier left inside of him! He could not even cry, as his tears would shock his cheeks.

"Arthur-san?"

He did not look up.

* * *

**looks like you guys are gonna have to wait until next chapter to find out whats gonna happennnnnn ahah**

**this took a little longer than expected bcos i had writers block and was kind of out of ideas**

**this chapter isnt very long or good and im sorry**


	3. Apology?

"Go away." Arthur croaked.

"You're soaking wet."

"Go away!"

He felt a hand to his shoulder, but it was instantly removed as a spark licked at Kiku's hand. Arthur curled up tighter.

"Static shock?.." he heard Kiku mumble to himself. "Arthur-san, you missed class. I was worried about you." He looked up, anger building up in seconds.

"You care now?! But you don't when you become friends with the asshole that _torments_ me?!" Arthur spat. At the last few words, he felt heat in his eyes, and momentary branches of electricity escaped them.

"Arthur, I-"

"No! Get OUT OF HERE!" He exclaimed in a fit of rage, slamming his hands against the ground, unable to hold back the sparks that jumped from them. Frowning, Kiku turned, and left. Arthur returned to crying.

As no-one would approach him for the rest of the day (not even teachers), Allistor was called in to take the erratic boy home. Despite the sparks and electricity that kept zapping him, Allistor scooped up his little brother and carried him out to the car.

"Now, lad, ye' gotta tell me what's happened."

"No," muttered Arthur, curling up on the backseat and covering his face.

"Arthur, I need t' know."

Hesitantly, Arthur opened his mouth. "It's the electricity, I can't-.. L-lightning hit me, and I can't control anything-"

"Lightning? Christ, are ye' okay?" Allistor said hurriedly as he started the car.

"I can't control anything.." he repeated weakly, feeling downright awful.

"Ah, this again.. I'm sure it can be fixed. We just have ta' do the same kinda training we did last time, ye'?" Allistor nodded, frowning for his brother.

Arthur did not attend school for the next few days, as he was at home with Allistor, doing the exercises he had done long ago to help get his power under control. It was a lot harder this time; he had grown stronger. This whole thing was a curse, and he held spite toward his mother for passing it on to him.

At last, the week of grueling control practice ended, and he was to return to school today. Arthur dreaded it; he was back to having no friends, and he would get picked on. What fun. He trudged through the school gates, and went off to hide in the library. He did not feel like class today. Arthur Kirkland, rebel and class skipper.

And, as if the boy was haunting him, Alfred opened the door and charged straight towards him. He sat down across from Arthur at the table, grinning. And Arthur felt sick.

"Go away," he mumbled, staring at the American with pure hate in his eyes.

"No, I wanna hear about your cool superpowers."

"I don't have any. Go away."

"How'd you give me all these electric burns, then?" Alfred argued, gesturing to little burn marks. "The one on my ankle's nasty, wanna see?"

"Why would I want to see a burn mark on your ankle?" groaned Arthur. "Besides, even if I did have 'superpowers'," he said that word as if mocking Alfred, "I wouldn't tell a jackass like you."

"But they're so cool! I mean, you can zap shit, right? That's cool." Alfred was practically buzzing with excitement as he stared at Arthur.

"Ugh.. Fine, yes, I can 'zap shit'. Now go away." He sneered, having a little courage now.

"So you _do_ have superpowers," cried Alfred, awestruck. Arthur hit the table in frustration.

"Keep your damned voice down!"

"Okie dokie," Alfred puffed, whispering a little dramatically. "Tell me about your powers, dude. I'm a hero expert." _You're also an utter douchebag_, thought Arthur.

"I can, uh," Arthur mumbled angrily, putting his hand to the side of the table and letting the electricity jump from finger to finger. There was a moment where his control shook, and the sparks leapt, but they faded into the air before they could strike anything. He clenched his hand into a fist. "Shocking."

"Oh my god," Alfred laughed. "You made a pun." _Fuck_, thought Arthur. _I hate puns_.

"I didn't mean to." spat Arthur. "There. You've seen. Go away."

"What cool stuff can you do with it?" Alfred persisted, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. "Can you charge up phones and stuff? Mine's flat," he chuckled, pulling said phone out of his pocket, and handing it over to Arthur. Staring at it in disbelief, Arthur let out a little sigh and took it.

"You're really stupid," he dared to say. "Handing someone your phone like that. How do you know I won't run off with it?"

"'Cos you're a shitty runner." Alfred quipped, shrugging. Damn, Alfred had him there.

"Hmmph," the Brit mumbled, looking down at the screen. Frowning, he put his fingers to it, and concentrated. After focusing for a few moments, he channeled his energy into the object, and it lit up in a manner of seconds. So did Alfred's face, apparently, although not in the same manner.

"Dude, that's _so COOL_!" Alfred squeaked, taking back his phone and smiling enthusiastically.

"Not really." Arthur grunted. "Are you going to go now?"

"Not really?" he replied, jaw dropping in disbelief. "This is so awesome, you can totally zap things or power things or whatever, and it's 'not really cool'?!"

"It's dangerous, and it's a curse more than a blessing." He mumbled, glancing away.

"No way! Arthur, you're super lame, god! This power's uber awesome and you're so lucky to have it! I can't believe this," Alfred gawked. "I would _kill_ to have a superpower!"

Arthur snapped. "It's not a 'superpower', okay?! I fucking killed my own parents!" Alfred shut up, and just looked at Arthur with wide eyes. "I-.. Ugh, just shut up, you asshole." The Brit hissed, covering his face with his hands.

"You killed your own-"

"Yes!.. God, just.. It was an accident, and I was still a baby. Fuck off, Alfred."

Alfred raised a brow. "But you can do cool stuff, right?"

"Oh, for FUCK'S SAKE!" Arthur snarled, moving his hands to stare at Alfred, enraged.

"Calm down, gee, we're in a library." Alfred chided. "But I mean like, even if you did some bad stuff with your powers, can't ya' learn to do good stuff?" Arthur was taken aback, and quietened down. He hadn't expected such an intelligent statement from Alfred, of all people.

"Anyway, I think we should be friends." Friends? That was absurd.

"Why would I want to be friends with someone who's tortured me for years?" muttered Arthur.

"C'mon, let's get a fresh start!"

"Only the other week did you beat me up."

"I can help you with your powers and stuff, since I know everything there is to know about heroes."

"Fuck off. This isn't a comic book."

They were at an impasse, as Alfred seemed to have completely turned around his attitude to Arthur (most probably due to the inclusion of superpowers in the friendship deal), and Arthur just hated Alfred for all he had put him through.

"Please? My friends aren't gonna tease you anymore, anyway, so,"

"What?" Arthur mumbled.

"I told them you were a pretty cool guy."

Arthur crossed his arms and looked away. If Alfred was trying to threaten him, he was going the right way about it. "You're not even going to apologize, are you?"

"Oh!" Alfred said suddenly, as if the thought had never occurred to him. "I'm super-duper sorry for being a colossal asshole since forever." Arthur wondered if this was a dream. "And it'd be cool if we could start over as friends."

Sighing, Arthur bowed his head slightly. "I'll.. I'll forgive, but I won't forget." He mumbled sourly. "Don't expect me to be kind."

"Great! So, you come over to my house Saturday, and we can totally find out what you can do!" Alfred wanted to be his friend, and he would be visiting the Jones' household this weekend (he had no choice in the matter, apparently). Arthur pinched himself. No, this was not a dream.

* * *

**a bit shorter than normal but eh**

**anyway, bACHOON. THERE IT IS. this is short because writer's block still ails me and im like 4**

**that and i accidentally wrote two other fanfics which i'll publish shortly (they distracted me from this one)**


	4. Off With the Fairies

Alfred's yard was incredibly messy. Perhaps Arthur was just being so critical on everything because he did not wish to be here. 'Go on', Allistor had encouraged, 'Make a friend. But be wary if he goes to turn his back on ye''. Brilliant advice from brother dear, thought Arthur. He waited at the door, having knocked only seconds earlier. There was the sound of footsteps and a scuffle on tile before a bright-faced Alfred opened the door.

"G'morning!" he chirped, opening the door a little more to let Arthur inside. "Hope you're all charged up and ready to go."

"Ugh," mumbled Arthur, cautiously going into the house and glancing around. He wondered if Alfred only wished to be his 'friend' for the sake of seeing Arthur's power. Alfred led him into the backyard, this one not covered with various junk.

"Yo, I even set up this thing," Alfred cheered, pointing to an odd metal construction that vaguely resembled a pyramid.

"Explain to me what 'this thing' is." Arthur ordered sullenly, crossing his arms and not looking very amused.

"Obviously a metal electricity conductor thingy," puffed Alfred, hands on his hips. "Try shooting it!"

"Shooting it?.." Arthur murmured, scoffing. "I can't shoot it."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't."

Alfred frowned. "Just like focus your energy into a ball, and then like let it off! It's like a thing I saw in _Naruto_."

"Yeah, yeah, Rasengan." muttered Arthur; he had been forced into watching that anime at Kiku's house many times.

Grumbling, he put his palms facing upward in front of him, and tried to concentrate. Why was he even doing this in the first place? Maybe if he obeyed Alfred's wishes, he would go away, and stop using him because he was 'cool'. The first attempt was rather pathetic, as the sparks just jumped out of his hands and fizzled into the air around him.

Alfred chimed in with some kind of encouragement. "Try again."

It actually took most of the day to get the shooting right, and even then the discharge was weak, and barely connected with the metal. As the afternoon sky turned to the dappled pinks and reds of sunset, Arthur sat down against the fence, exhausted.

"You were so cool today," hummed Alfred, plopping himself down beside Arthur. What he did next caused Arthur the highest alarm.

Alfred's thick arms went around him, engulfing him in an embrace. Reflexes acting before he could even think about it, he brought his hands to the American's chest, and sent weak electricity into him. Alfred jumped back, feeling only a moment of discomfort, before scratching his head and pouting.

"What'd you do that for?" he whined.

"Why did you do.. _that_?!" grunted Arthur, cringing and shuffling away.

"Dude, I was congratulating you. You did a good job, woohoo!" cried Alfred in defense.

He froze for a moment, before looking away and letting out a bitter sigh. He still wasn't sure whether Alfred was even being genuine in the least, and he was honestly terrified. They went inside, Arthur hesitantly following his host. It was apparently dinnertime now, and Alfred's mother had heated up some chicken nuggets. Not exactly fine dining, but Arthur hadn't been expecting such a thing.

It was ever so awkward at the table, as Arthur would not speak, only glance up to Alfred, and then to his brother, too shy to look at their mother. After eating, Arthur was dragged up to Alfred's room, where he was forced to sit through superhero movie after superhero movie after superhero movie. Apparently, Arthur was 'learning'.

He went home after that, not speaking a word to Allistor and just going to his room to think. Was Alfred sincere in his apology? Was he being too harsh on him still? Arthur reminded himself that he wasn't to forget all the bad things Alfred had done. But then again, perhaps the boy was trying to atone.

Things seemed to get a little better when school came around again. Arthur did his best to smile and forgive Alfred a little more, and it became easier as he and Kiku returned to being friends. It seemed, for now, things were only going to improve. A few days passed. They only grew closer, albeit just a touch.

Arthur had stopped contact with his magical friends quite some time ago, seeing as they had been the cause of his strife for many years. When Alfred asked to see them, Arthur could hardly believe his ears.

"You want.. to see the fairies?.." repeated Arthur slowly, creasing his brow.

"That's what I said." Alfred puffed. "Take me to see them!"

"Erm.. After school."

They waited through the day, Alfred buzzing with excitement every minute. Arthur told him to calm down. As they passed the school gates, they said farewell to Kiku, and Arthur led Alfred into the little garden off the school path.

"I don't even know if they'll be here," mumbled Arthur. "I haven't talked to a fairy in years."

"What? Why not?!" gasped Alfred, shocked. Arthur just looked at him with those same cold eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." He grunted. "Now, to see if they're here-"

"What, you see one?" asked Alfred quickly, looking around. Arthur had paused in his spot, grinning as a little fairy flew toward him and perched on his nose, hugging it and making small chirps and chatterings.

"I've missed you too," he whispered to it, unable to stop smiling as a whole bombardment of the little creatures flew at him, landing on his shoulders or in his hair.

"Uh," mumbled Alfred. "You alright there?"

"They're here," hummed Arthur, for once in a cheery mood. "I'm sorry I've been away so long, dearies." Alfred just watched, curious. Perhaps Arthur was out of his mind.

"The fairies, huh? Are any around me?"

Arthur looked up for a moment, and smirked, amused as a single pixie danced about the top of Alfred's head. "Just one."

"Ah!" exclaimed Alfred, getting all excited again. "Where?!"

"Head," Arthur smiled, pointing up. Alfred stayed terribly still for now, resembling a living statue. "Erm, don't worry, she's not going to fall off if you move."

They sat down shortly, just relaxing and making smalltalk. It was funny how open Arthur had become to Alfred in such a short time, but perhaps that was because he started to believe that Alfred had been honest in his apologies. As the afternoon grew old, Arthur looked up to the sky.

"Alfred?.." he mumbled, gently petting a fairy that say on his shoulder – although most of the fairies from earlier had left to go home. "Do you really want us to be friends for just that, friendship?.."

Alfred tilted his head. "Yeah, duh."

"I feel bad for thinking that you only wished to make peace with me in the name of seeing my powers," Arthur laughed nervously, looking to the ground.

"Oh," said Alfred. "I did at first."

"Bastard!" cried Arthur, clenching his hands into fists. "So I was right!"

"At first!" Alfred repeated, pouting and grabbing onto Arthur's shoulder so he wouldn't leave. The fairy fled in an instant. "I mean, your powers are cool, but you're cooler!"

"Oh, shut up!" grunted Arthur, trying to punch Alfred in the chin. The American made a quick dodge, but did not move from where he sat. The torrent of emotions stormed even faster through his mind, and he tried to shove the other boy with sparks flicking out from his fingers.

Alfred, seeing the motion, grabbed Arthur's wrist before his hand could touch, and gave a stern look to the boy. "C'mon, I wanna be your friend just to be your friend, 'kay? Not 'cos you have powers, even though that's a side benefit!" He said quickly, staring at the distressed boy in front of him. "Look, I-.." he paused, and in place of words, leant in and kissed Arthur.

Arthur allowed it for a split second before shoving Alfred back, repulsed and confused. "What the hell, Alfred!" he cried, shuffling back with sparks jumping from his fingertips.

"Sorry!" Alfred replied haughtily, putting his hands up in defense. "It explained stuff better than I could in words!"

"You're the biggest homophobe in the whole school, what the hell!" Arthur whimpered, threatening to go into hysterics. "_What the hell!_"

"That's only around my friends," Alfred explained quickly, frowning.

Arthur stood, barrier weakening; he felt the electricity in him build. "F-fuck off!" He cried weakly, getting to his feet and hurriedly storming off.

Alfred watched him go, wondering if he'd done the wrong thing.

* * *

**oh boy alfred what have you done.**

**next chapter will be more about alfred i think heh**

**sorry this has taken so long dude**

**this takes so. lONG TO WRITE. bECAUSE IM REALLY KINDA UNINSPIRED. BUT IM DOING IT. AHHh.**


	5. Acceptance Is A Joke

Arthur was so cool. That's what Alfred thought. It was on his mind a lot of the time. Especially in that afternoon with the fairies. But he'd blown it, blown it big time. Why wouldn't Arthur just suck it up and accept his feelings? Oh, right, because he'd been a total dick who wasn't very good at showing them.

He only beat up Arthur because he was pressured! Yeah, that was it. He _totally_ didn't find it fun at the time. But the Brit had powers! That had _sparked_ – Alfred laughed as he thought it – a completely new interest in the boy. If Alfred fell in love with a superhero, he knew that he would be totally super awesome.

It seemed to only ever be about himself, didn't it? Jumping into things like that heads first, with no brakes or cushion to soften his fall. By fall, I mean crashing and failing flight. He didn't show much concern for Arthur's feelings. Because it was all about Alfred. Duh.

He went to apologize to Arthur that Monday, waiting by the gate for him to arrive.

"Yo, dude!" he chirped, bouncing over to the Briton, who flinched at the sight of him.

"Go away," Arthur grunted, giving him a cold glare and starting to walk by.

"No, we can't be back to square one!" Alfred whined, grabbing Arthur's sleeve. Consequently, he froze, fear building up in seconds.

"Stop it."

"No, Arthur, I wanna apologize!" Alfred huffed, tugging Arthur back towards him. Frowning and not expecting this, Arthur looked up at him and waited. "I'm sorry for doing that thing I did that I shouldn't have."

"What thing?" he scoffed, acting as if he didn't know what the American was going on about.

"The.. The thing! It happened and then you left!"

"It's called a kiss, arsehole." He sneered.

Alfred cringed. "Not so loud! People'll hear you!"

"So that's your fucking problem," snorted Arthur, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You know, I was all ready to forgive you and maybe even give you a try, but seriously, you're ashamed?" he muttered.

"I-"

"Talk to me again when you've stopped being an inconsiderate prick."

And so, Alfred waited. Maybe Arthur would come around and talk to him again. But no, he just chatted with Kiku and ignored Alfred for the entirety of a month. Whenever Alfred tried to talk to him, Arthur would make some kind of 'tut-tut' sound and turn to talk to Kiku. Alfred got sick and tired of it, and decided that today, he would finally capture the superpowered Brit's attention again.

"Arthur!" Alfred whined as he trailed Arthur through the school corridor. "Dude, wait," he puffed, having had to run to catch up. Arthur kept walking. He reached forward and grabbed the boy's collar, tugging him back. "Hey, I'm sorry! For kissing you! Look, I said it!" he said quickly. That was definitely something he'd practiced in the mirror many times.

"Oh, hello, Alfred. When did you get there?" mused Arthur, turning and raising his brows. Acting like he only just noticed him, how rude.

"Heysowhatifwewentout-" Alfred stammered really quickly, words all smashing together into one big clusterfuck.

"Talk like you're not on speed."

"Go out with me!" Alfred demanded.

Arthur just looked at him with blank eyes, although his cheeks were a little pink. "Now, why should I do that?" he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"C-.. Cos.. Uh.." Alfred spluttered, failing to come up with a proper reason.

"If you want me to ever, _ever_ go out with an arsehole like you, you'd have to ask me in front of your dumb friends." Arthur sneered.

Alfred actually scoffed aloud. Like he could do that! He'd become an unpopular reject near instantly. Was it worth it to have a boyfriend with fucking awesome superpowers? Yes, Alfred decided. Because superpowers were _fucking awesome_. Even if they weren't his.

"Okay." He nodded, taking Arthur by the arm and dragging him to the cafeteria. It was lunchtime anyway, so everyone would be there. He was gonna fucking do it. All or nothing, dudes. Fearless, Alfred leapt up onto one of the tables and put his hands on his hips. "Alright! Everyone, listen up! Wait, don't-.. Wait, I dunno! Just listen if you want! Especially my friends-" He paused, and glanced down at Arthur; the Brit was looking at him skeptically with crossed arms.

"Everyone, listen up!" he started again. "I'm totally asking out Arthur Kirkland right now! Arthur, go out with me!" He puffed, looking down at the Brit. There was a bit of laughter from some douchebags across the room. Oh, right, Alfred's friends. He ignored them, knowing he'd get shit later, and extended his hand to the stunned Arthur.

Reluctantly, Arthur took it, and was helped up onto the table. As Alfred held his hand, he kept sending weak energy waves through it, just to piss the other off. "Arthur, whatd'ya say?!"

"Erm, fine," he spluttered, incredibly embarrassed. He hadn't expected Alfred to ever swallow his pride like this.

It was one girl. One damned girl in the crowd who chimed in and started the chant of 'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' and cheered. Arthur recognized her as the school's hall monitor, Elizaveta. Brilliant. A few other people joined in, and Arthur was downright horrified when he noticed Kiku was amongst the chanters.

Alfred turned to face him with a smug grin. Huffing, Arthur leaned in, knowing he couldn't rebel against the chanting crowd. When their lips met, Arthur intentionally increased the voltage there, and shocked Alfred, causing him to jump back a little. Elizaveta clapped wildly and cheered before zooming off to do hall monitor duties. Arthur got down from the table, and helped Alfred down as well.

"That was bloody stupid."

Arthur practiced. He was invited over to Alfred's house often, but only because he actually had some vague desire to hone in on his powers. And Alfred was a very cheery enthusiast in his power; it pleased him when Arthur showed off. In the course of a week, Alfred's friends stopped talking to him, excepting when occasionally shoving him in the hallway and muttering 'faggot'. Alfred cheerily shook it off each time and went off to find Arthur.

Arthur accepted what was going on with their 'relationship'. Love was void on both sides, clearly. Alfred stayed with him for the excitement of the superpower, and Arthur stayed with him for keeping his power in check, in return. He accepted that it was empty and a shallow agreement at best. Did he actually like Alfred in any way? No, he decided. The boy was putrid, obnoxious, selfish.

Alfred didn't even notice the flaws in their partnership. He was too focused on the sparks licking out of Arthur's fingers to ever even consider his feelings. They didn't matter that much to him, honestly. Arthur didn't seem to care, either. The Brit did have a thing for teasing him and then punching him with a spark-charged hand. Huh.

By now, Arthur had developed a new mantra.

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, or the sparks might just set alight the world around.

* * *

**this fic turned into a trainwreck and here it is finally at its bloody crash of an end.**

**the end.**


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